eminent domain

In our June newsletter, the long arm of the law takes center stage: The Supreme Court hands Florida a win over Georgia in a water dispute In Texas, private land seizures have begun as the administration builds its border wall…

Under the guise of progress, eminent domain rears its ugly head yet again. by Henry Chappell | photography by Russell Graves When Harold “Thump” Witcher (right) mows a hayfield, cleans a fencerow, or feeds his cattle, he works land he…

One of the greatest missteps by our nation’s high court will be featured on the silver screen next year. Producer Ted Balaker can remember the exact moment when he first learned that the Supreme Court had ruled 5-4 against Susette…

The Nebraska Supreme Court will wait until September to hear a challenge by landowners and others opposing Gov. Dave Heineman’s decision to let Keystone XL pipeline builder TransCanada use the power of eminent domain to acquire the necessary right of…

Four years after the Supreme Court handed down Kelo vs. New London, eminent domain reform continues. Earlier this month, the Texas Senate passed an amendment that would make it harder for the government to seize land from private landowners via…

Landowners in the West will have one of their own heading up the Interior Department in the new Obama Administration. According to published reports, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) will be named the 50th Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior…

Fire destroyed Mack Louden’s century-old Marty Feeds building in Trinidad on September 15. Louden, a local rancher who has been spearheading opposition to Fort Carson’s proposed expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, had insurance on just a portion of the property.…

The U.S. Senate is close to approving a $72 billion military construction budget that would effectively prevent the Army from spending any money to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site for another year. But opponents of the expansion are by no…

Pressure from grassroots opponents of the U.S. Army’s attempt to seize 420,000 acres of privately-owned land in southeast Colorado is starting to produce some results in Washington. While he’s been a lukewarm supporter of Colorado ranchers in their fight with the…

Mack Louden’s most memorable feature isn’t his sunbaked skin or his steely eyes. It’s his determination. The man’s face is optimistically defiant, unbroken yet scarred, and colored by a tinge of melancholy and pessimism.